US military completes embassy evacuation and takes control of Kabul airport after flights stop

The Defense Ministry announced Sunday evening that it had taken control of Kabul airport as the city, the last under Afghan government control, fell into the hands of the Taliban. “At present, we are completing a series of measures to secure Hamid Karzai International Airport to allow the safe departure of US and allied personnel from Afghanistan via civilian and military flights,” it reads. a joint declaration Department of State and DoD.

Meanwhile, the State Department said the evacuation of the US embassy in the city was complete. “We can confirm that the safe evacuation of all Embassy staff is now complete. All embassy staff are on premises at Hamid Karzai International Airport, whose perimeter is secured by the US military, ”State Department spokesman Ned Price said. Thousands of Afghans eligible for US special immigrant visas are expected to be evacuated from the country over the next two days, with 2,000 of them having already entered the United States in the past two weeks.

Earlier, Afghans stranded at Kabul International Airport told the Daily Beast that the exodus of civilians from the country had become chaotic as commercial air traffic came to a halt. “The DOD has halted all inbound and outbound flights from the civilian side of the airport,” said an Afghan official, who requested anonymity for security reasons. “Women, children and government officials with visas cannot leave the country because the United States is blocking them.” U.S. military officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Daily Beast. Videos from Hamid Karzai International Airport posted on social networks show crowds of Afghans waiting on the airport runway to board commercial planes.